Let’s face it; 2020 has been an immensely difficult year for businesses across the board. However, the silver lining is that the festive period has sparked an economic boost that looks likely to last into the new year.
Nevertheless, with social distancing in place, the battle for online success will be greater than ever. Now is the time to put the preparations in place ahead of the January flurry. Here are five steps that will lead you to success.
Work Out How You’ll Gain Visibility
The first challenge facing any business is to gain awareness. After all, it will be impossible to sell anything if clients don’t know of your existence. The battle for online customers is fiercer than ever, but many will let themselves down by focusing solely on organic methods. If you want fast results, partnering with an effective PPC ad agency is vital. Effective display ads that get your brand in front of the right people within a matter of hours will send traffic through the roof.
Understand Consumer Intent
In an ideal world, all customers you reach would be ready to complete a purchase there and then. In reality, the majority won’t be at that phase of the consumer journey. The average person requires seven interactions with a brand before buying your products. Building a sales funnel that can collect new leads at every stage of intent is vital. When you do this, it will be far easier to answer their pain points and lead them to a sale.
Check Out Your Hosting Packages
The last thing you need in January is to miss out on sales due to a lack of web bandwidth. Therefore, an understanding of your current package is vital. On a similar note, you must connect with a payment processing partner that will allow you to gain sales from the biggest audience. This could also include using credit plan firms that allow your customers to use monthly repayments. Sadly, obstacles with traffic and transactions would be the equivalent of shutting your shop doors.
Let Visuals Count
Shopping is supposed to be an enjoyable experience. Sadly, reading through pages of unnecessary info won’t go down well with many consumers. Therefore, it’s vital that you use visual content to your advantage. In addition to the graphics used in display ads and social posts, you should consider testimonials. Seeing a verified five-star rating instantly inspires trust. Likewise, stills and videos that give an insight into the brand will work wonders.
Look For Long-Term Success
Whether we regain control over the pandemic in the coming months or not, online business is now king. Consumers that had previously resisted it are now huge advocates, leading to a permanent shift in shopping habits. Therefore, a strong SEO strategy and content marketing plan are vital. The results won’t necessarily show in the early parts of the year, but it will keep you on the right track into Q2 and beyond. When supported by the insights you can gain through social media, your future will look far brighter.
